Shaina Reissman is from Monsey, New York. She attended Manhattan High School for Girls and then went on to study in Me’ohr for a year. She is currently majoring in Biology in Touro College. After spending an incredible summer as a camper, Shaina is back for her second summer on Michlelet!

The amazing campers in Shaina’s chabura are Aliza Schechter (Woodmere, NY), Rikki Weiss (Woodmere, NY), Eliana Cohen (Miami, Florida ) and Rivky Samel (Brooklyn, NY).

Shaina’s Chabura is called: “The Guide to Living a Meaningful Daily Life.” Each Chaburah focuses on a different middah or mitzvah in our daily lives and the practical lessons that can be learnt from them, to uplift our days. Throughout the chaburahs there are discussions, stories and activities to help the girls gain a better understanding and appreciation for their daily lives. The goal is for the girls to leave camp having practical lessons to apply to their lives.

Question: What is something you gained this summer on Michlelet?

Aliza: This summer on Michlelet I gained a better understanding for the power of tefilla. In my chaburah, we learnt alot about davening and it’s importance, specifically the power of saying ״פותח את ידך״ during אשרי. These words show us how everything that is given to us is directly from Hashem for us to use to fulfill our purpose in this world. We explored the idea that through davening we develop a personal, close relationship with Hashem. I feel that through learning about this topic I enhanced my personal כונה in my davening each morning while thinking that I am connecting to Hashem.

Rikki: This summer on Michlelet I gained a broader prospective on many aspects of my life. For example, in my homeroom chaburah we learnt about Emunah and I have seen that during challenging times, I react in a calmer manner with the clear understanding that everything is from Hashem for my good.

Eliana: In Michlelet this summer I learned a lot, but one thing that had a great impact on me was the power and affect ones words can have. In one of our Chaburahs, we learnt a mashal that with each word we speak we are providing paint for a person’s self portrait. With these colors of paint, we have the power to either create someone’s self portrait, with beautiful colors, or we can fill their portrait with dark gloomy colors. As you can see words have the ability to either make or break someone. This helped me realize the importance of my words and that every little thing I say has a great effect.

Rivky: One thing I gained in Michlelet this summer is perspective. I have learned to look at mundane things and see the meaning and beauty in them. My madrichot and teachers have taught me how to look at the Torah and mitzvot with a new light and have taught me ways to love and appreciate each opportunity that comes my way. Specifically, I feel that I have gained a lot in the area of tefillah. I have learned about the deeper meanings of brachot and this has made davening much more special to me.

Ziva Bibbins is from Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Midreshet Moriah for a year and is currently in Stern College. This is Ziva’s first summer on Michlelet and she is having an amazing time!

The Rebbetzins in Ziva’s chaburah are:
Chaviva Salzberg (SKA, Far Rockaway, NY), Tali Margolese (TDS, Seattle, WA) and Avigayil Rosenwasser (Hanna Sacks, Chicago, IL).

Ziva’s chaburah is called, “What Do You and Hollywood Have In Common?” Based off the Sefer Orchos Tzadikim, Ziva took different middos to analyze and characters that we see on screen. For every middah we learn we see how to act in both the positive aspect of the middah and the negative aspect of the middah. We then pair the middah to a Disney Character and we try to find practical and beneficial ways to implement the positive aspects of the middah into our lives.

If you could give one piece of advice to a future Michlelet girl, what would it be?
Chaviva: “To really take things slow and not to overwhelm yourself but to truly seize the opportunities given to you and achieve that by keeping things consistent!”
Tali: “Walk into camp with an open mind and a set of goals. You will gain so much more if you come in with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised, because that’s what michlelet is- full of surprises.”
Avigayil: “The advice that I would give to a future michlelet girl is to write down some of your goals that you want to fulfill for yourself. Later on at the end of the summer you can look back at these goals and see how much you grew. You will feel more accomplished and know that you spent you summer productively and successfully. Prepare to be inspired because michlelet is a life changing summer program that you definitely will not regret going to!”

Zahava Rothberg is from Teaneck, New Jersey and went to Bruriah High School followed by MMY for a year and a half. She currently attends Stern College and is majoring in biology. Zahava went on Michlelet as a camper and was so excited to come back as a Madricha!

The amazing Rebbetzins in Zahava’s chaburah are Alicia Russo (Bronx, NY), Anna Gross (Manhattan, NY), Aviva Sulkin (Chicago, IL), and Rachel Shmuel (Edison, NJ).

Zahava’s chaburah is on Gedolim and specific middos we learn from them. Everyday in chaburah, we learn about a new Gadol; a bit of his biography and share impactful stories which themselves serve as great mussar. After that, we learn a specific middah they embody from different seforim such as Alei Shur and Sifsei Chaim. Everyday is ended with a game plan for each of us with practical tips to help us work on that middah.

Each of the girls were asked: “What is one thing you learned that you are going to take with you from Michlelet?”

Alicia Russo- My summer on Michlelet has been so much fun, but the best parts were not what Michlelet did for me but what they enabled me to do for others. Michlelet made sure that every experience had a deeper meaning and an important takeaway. We learnt in our chessed activities that the action doesn’t have to be big in order for it to matter. Whether you are helping to organize a soup kitchen, visiting a woman with ALS, or making a wedding for an underprivileged bride, every little bit matters. The highlight of my summer was visiting the hospital and learning to be a clown for a day. There was nothing more rewarding than eliciting a smile and bringing some joy to people who have been through so much. Placing yourself in someone else’s shoes enriches our lives and broadens our perspective. Most importantly, I acquired an appreciation for all the small blessings in my life.

Anna Gross: One of the many things I have learned on michlelet is that one should always strive for improvement rather than perfection. One should not try to become one’s role models but rather emulate their best qualities. Every person has faults, even if they are not so visible to the outside person. This is why it’s much more of a healthy and realistic goal to strive for improvement in one’s personal state rather than perfection with another’s, which will likely be quite impossible.

Aviva Sulkin: A lesson I’m going to take with me from michlelet is that there are so many different types of Jews but we are still one big family and we have to love every jew no matter how different we might be.

Rachel Shmuel: Something that I will take away from michlelet this summer is that when I want to learn I now have the tools and resources from all my madrichot, teachers, and rebbeim and not to only learn in a class oriented situation. I now know that I can learn just because I want to learn.

Tzipora Hirsch is from Queens, NY. After graduating from Manhattan High School, she spent a year and a half at Michlalah. Tzipora is currently studying at Queens College, majoring in mechanical engineering. Tzipora remembers her incredible summer on Michlelet as a camper, and is so excited to come back as a Madricha.
The amazing girls in Tzipora’s chaburah are Gavriella Lebowitz, Yaeli Adar, Sandy Nussbaum, and Mali Wolfson.
In Tzipora’s chaburah, the girls delve into different middos and characteristics that can be learned from the various women in tanach. For example, shtika which can be learned from Rochel; gratitude from Leah; individuality from Esther; tefillah from Chana; leadership from Devorah; emunah from rut; and so much more! Tzipora uses different Torah sources, along with secular research and quotes, to explain and describe each characteristic.
Tzipora hopes to instill in the girls a love for Torah and desire for self growth. She hopes that the girls in her Chaburah will be able to take what they learn from the women in tanach, and infiltrate those middos and characteristics into their every day lives.

Which event/time period in Jewish history would you have liked to witness, and why?
Mali: The times of Shlomo because it was the golden age of the Jewish ppl and Shlomo was also like the coolest person who ever lived.
Sandy: I would have liked to have witnessed the Liberation of the Holocaust. The thought of seeing the light enter the lives of Jews who went through the worst and made it to the finish line is empowering. I imagine Jews putting on Tefillin for the first time in years, for being so thankful to mutter just a few words of prayer; that gives me extreme Hakarat Hatov to HaShem for giving me the opportunity to practice my religion freely.
Gavriella: the times of Shlomo HaMelech when everything was peaceful and happy, because we don’t have that these days. I would want to know what real peace is. Also I would like to witness the sin of Adam Harishon because it would be interesting to see how he sinned and why the punishment was so strong.
Yaeli: I would like to go back in time to when Rochel gave over the simanim to Leah her sister. I find it difficult to believe that one would have the ability to give up one’s life and religion for the sake of not embarrassing her sister. She gave up her future husband even though she knew she would inevitably marry his brother, the rasha. Rochel is a person that I look up to because of her sensitivity to others.

Tova Wieder is from Teaneck, New Jersey. She attended Maayanot for high school and then spent a year and a half in Shaalvim for Women. She is now in Stern College majoring in Speech Pathology. Tova was a madricha on Michlelet last summer and is so excited to be back!!

Tova’s chaburah goes through Rav Avigdor Miller’s 10 Steps to Greatness. Each step is a different, seemingly unconnected action. The common theme between these steps is the fact that they make us focus on the environment that we are in and recognize HaShem in our everyday lives.

The incredible girls in Tova’s homeroom are Adina Adler (Edison, NJ), Shayna Jaffa (Queens, NY), Rivka Shapiro (Hillside, NJ), and Atara Black (Toronto, ON).

What was your favorite tiyul on Michlelet?

Adina: My favorite tiyul on Michlelet was when I had the privilege to go to Save A Child’s Heart where I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with children who suffered from heart diseases. They came to Israel from many different places around the world to get treatment. I was so inspired by the bravery that these children had in them every day while going through their situation and not even having their parents by their side. I, along with many other girls, went around to talk to and play with the kids and while doing so, I felt so connected to the children whom I didn’t even know until a few moments before. After this experience, I realized how you don’t have to look, talk, or act the same way as someone for you to make a connection with them or even just to put a smile on their faces.

Rivka: My favorite tiyul was going to הבית של סוזן -it was really cool to see regular kids making really beautiful things!

Atara: My favourite tiyul this summer was climbing Masada at sunrise. It was hard to wake up at 3 in the morning but the view from the top of the mountain made the early wake up worth it. The experience gave the girls a chance to bond over something that was meaningful and fun at the same time.

Shayna: My favorite tiyul that I experienced this summer was waking up early to go to nefesh b’ nefesh. Being by the airport greeting the people and cheering them on really inspired me and showed me how amazing it is to make Aliyah and not only was it inspiring but I also had a great time too!

Today was a day full of chesed on Michlelet! The day started off with powerful chaburahs and classes. We are getting in every minute of learning we can this last week!! Before lunch the girls and madrichot prepped the gym for the amazing carnival we had for underprivileged children in beit shemesh. Every girl set up and worked at different booths such as, Coke or Pepsi?, Guess How Many Chocolate Chips, Find the Penny in the Flour and more. They made signs and got all dressed up to greet the children. The carnival was a blast!! Everyone had a great time; both the Michlelet girls and the children guests. There was singing and dancing, games and lots of ruach! After the carnival there were 2 trips, one to the mall and one to the Coke factory. Our guest night speaker Rabbi Fix gave over an amazing shiur and afterwards we had a great game of family feud! All around a packed and exciting day!

Tiferet Schafler is from Long Beach, New York. After attending SKA, she spent one and a half years at Sha’alvim for women and is currently studying Psychology and Judaic Studies at Stern College. This is Tiferet’s first time on NCSY summer, and she feels so privileged to be able to teach Torah everyday and be part of such an amazing organization.
The girls in the chaburah are Aviva Striks (Queens), Leora Goldberg (Florida), Yona Leibowitz (Canada), and Abby Emanuel (Canada).
The Chaburah focuses on re-defining words in our daily vocabulary (“peace,” “good,” “love,” etc.): the group goes through all places in the Torah that the word is used, learns each context, comes to see how different the Torah definition of that word is than our current understanding, and discusses how this difference should impact our lives and perspective.

When the girls were asked their favorite quote/slogan they live by, they answered:

Yona: “Whatever I will be, I will make a difference, I will fulfill my dream”

Abby : “A little bit of light takes away a lot of darkness”

Leora: “It is our actions that make us who we truly are, far more than our capabilities”

Aviva: “Happiness comes from within”

Rivka Greenberg grew up in the great city of Chicago, Illinois and then learned in the even greater city of Yerushalaim Ir Hakodesh for a year and a half in Michlalah and MMY. Although she is not studying bio or psych, she is currently a student in Stern College for Women! In her spare time, she packs and unpacks suitcases, as she is usually on her way in or out of an NCSY shabbaton.

This summer, Rivka has the privilege to learn with four special NCSYers in her homeroom: Ayelet Glassberg, Moriah Rosenthal, Madeline Hartranft, and Molly Horwitz. A fun fact about this homeroom is that all of their first and last initials can be found in the same five letters (A, G, M, R, and H). Homeroom focuses on the book Living Inspired by Rabbi Akiva Tatz, and in chabura, they learn about carrying that inspiration through daily life by learning spiritual depths behind our mundane routines.

The girls in Rivka’s chabura are on a mission to change the world, and if they were Michlelet madrichot this is what they would teach:
Ayelet Glassberg: I would want to teach about davening because nowadays most people just say the words in davening without understanding the meaning.
I would want to teach the meaning of the words we are saying and give an understanding so it’s not just us saying random things.

Moriah Rosenthal: If I created a Michlelet chabura I would choose its topic to be about being proud to be a Jew.
In my Chabura with Rivka Greenberg (KULULULULUUU), we read a letter by the Baal Shem Tov and he explains why he served HaShem through Torah and Mitzvahs.
He explains that as important as it is to serve HaShem, it is just as important to do it with pride.
Serving HaShem without pride will not be long lasting. Pride in being Jewish is what keeps Judaism alive forever. It is what makes being Jewish possible, even in a secular place like a public school.

Molly Horwitz: As a Michlelet advisor I would teach proofs of Judaism in my chabura. I believe that Jewish youths are often expected to blindly prescribe to the Jewish faith. They are not given a strong and diverse collection of proofs of the Torah or G-d because they have followed Judaism long enough that it is assumed that they already have emunah. Furthermore, families and the school system are more focused on teaching details of the Jewish faith rather than giving youths a firm core of belief. These same teenagers do not question Judaism out loud because they fear that they will sound ungrateful or uneducated. If young Jews are given proofs of the Torah then they will have a logically based understanding of Judaism that they can fall back on in times when they question their faith.

Madeline Hartranft: I would do a chabura on the different branches of Orthodox Judaism. For example, one day we would explore modern orthodox, another day yeshivish, another day chasidish, and so on. We would explore what is unique about their approach to Judaism and what positive things we can take from them. We have this idea of loving every Jew like we love ourselves but it’s so hard to do that when other Jews seem so different. If we learned about what we have in common and what lessons we can learn from other Jews we would be closer to loving every Jew.

Esti Steinberg, from Chicago, couldn’t be more excited to spend her second summer on Michlelet! After high school, Esti spent a year and a half in Michlalah, and is now in Touro in Manhattan majoring in finance. This coming year Esti will be an NCSY advisor for the Atlantic seaboard region.

The nashim tzidkaniyos in Esti’s chabura are Shira Borochov (Cedarhurst), Ilana Brunner (Woodmere), Maya Molobsky (Denver), Chaya Weissman (Lawrence), and Chavy Weitz (Monsey).

Esti’s Chabura is called Torah Through the Lens of YouTube. Each Chabura they watch a different YouTube video that has gone viral and connects each one to a Torah idea. Esti’s goal is to show her campers that a Yid can uplift anything to a higher level- even YouTube. Together, Esti’s Chabura goes though various Torah sources to bring the topics to life in a new and refreshing way.

Ilana Brunner:
This year on michlelet one of my chabura’s focused on videos that went viral on YouTube. I, together with my chabura then looked a little deeper to find the reason why specific videos went viral. One YouTube video that really inspired me is a recording of a stepmother expressing her love to her stepson despite that fact that they are not biologically related. This touched my heart because it shows that love doesn’t run out and isn’t only for specific people. On a broader note this video shows the importance of the Jews loving each other even though we are not all relatives.

Shira Borochov:
Recently, I watched a video about a little poor boy who looks at himself and sees nothing. He’s wearing torn clothing and ripped up shoes. He then turns his head and sees a boy about the same age as him sitting in nicer clothing. All this boy wants is to switch places with him. So what happens? They switch places. The poor boy soon realized that the kid he was so jealous of ending up being paralyzed. From this video I learnt to be thankful for everything I have. I may wish that I have something that someone else has and I might not, but really, whatever that thing is- is not necessary in my life. And whatever I have is what I need. This video taking me not to take all the things I do have in my life for granted and to be much more appreciative for the things HaShem decided I need in my life.

Chavy Weitz:
In my Chabura we take YouTube videos and connect it to Judaism and gain inspiration through them. The Vharav Na music video (the first one) by Baruch Levine and Simcha Leiner inspires me because it combines music with such excitement for torah and happiness to learn it which is what I get a taste of on Michlelet.

Maya Molobsky:
In my Chabura this summer, we took YouTube videos that where inspirational or went viral, and we Learned how they connected to Torah and how to apply the lessons within the video to our everyday lives. A YouTube video that I found to be inspirational was about a homeless man who received 100 dollars from a random stranger. This homeless man was then followed and videoed to see how he would spend this money. Instead of using this money on unnecessary items, he went into a grocery store and bought food for other homeless people in need. This inspired me because this man could have used 100 dollars all on himself but instead he chose to help others who where just as needy as him. This video showed me the importance of recognizing other people’s needs, and being in the mindset of always thinking of others.

Chaya Weissman: There are a couple of videos on YouTube that show a few people helping out the homeless by giving them a makeover, food, and necessities that a normal person would need daily. It shows how much we take everything for granted and not appreciating even the littlest things like the homeless people do. It inspires me to look at big and little things in life and thank HaShem for all that He does for me.

Shabbat Shalom!